Filipino netizens have dubbed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as “Quietano” for keeping silent even after the sneaky burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an issue that he opposed until recently.
In August, he even appealed to the Marcoses to consider burying the dictator in Ilocos for the sake of the country instead of putting the burden on the President Rodrigo Duterte’s shoulders.
“Ano ba naman yung pamilya nila yung magsabi na, ‘you know what, it’s so divisive. Thank you, President Duterte; sorry for putting this on your shoulders, sorry for putting this on the shoulder of past presidents. Dito na lang. Gagawa kami ng napakagandang libingan, isang area to honor the Marcos good deeds dito sa Ilocos,” Cayetano told Davila on ANC’s Headstart.
But on Monday, Cayetano said that it is enough that Duterte knows his opposition to the Marcos burial. He added that it is not his duty “right now” to express that opposition in the streets, according to a Rappler article.
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“Right now my job is both foreign relations and troubleshooting for some of the intentions ng Palasyo. So it is not my job right now to keep voicing out my opinions sa kalye. My job is to be ready when the President asks me to do something, my advice,” he said, referring to the protests against the dictator’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on November 18.
Cayetano added that his role in the current administration does not include being a fiscalizer.
“As for me, it is not my role now to be a fiscalizer. Role ko is to tell the President my opinion, for the campaign promises to be kept, and to help the President any way I can,” he said.
He even said that the dictator’s burial is not necessarily the most important issue in the Philippines now.
“I disagree. There are so many things important in our country. The reality is may favorite topics din ang mga media. I’ve see latest surveys. A lot of people care about the issue, but they care more about presyo, trabaho, kita, kaayusan, public order,” Cayetano said.
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During the election campaign, Cayetano repeatedly lambasted former Senator Bongbong Marcos for his father’s declaration of Martial Law and his family’s ill-gotten wealth.
But netizens slammed Cayetano for his line of defense about being “Quietano.”
Some asked how it feels to serve Duterte, who ends up still liking Bongbong more.
Richard Abalos called him a “suckup” and asked him to explain where he got the P71 million he gave to Duterte’s campaign kitty.
Aristotle Florento Reyes expressed his disappointment with Cayetano, whom he used to admire last election and other netizens agreed with him.
Someone expressed his confusion over Cayetano’s donation to Duterte that is bigger than his declared SALN (which is actually P23.3 million in 2015).
Another netizen said that soon enough, Cayetano would have to work with his enemies – Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Senator Marcos.
Sources: (news.abs-cbn.com, rappler.com, cnnphilippines.com)
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